Dangers of Deception
by Great-Need-to-Take-a-Nap
Summary: Virgil has a feeling that something bad is about to happen. Then an incident with Deceit brings him and Roman closer together. Prinxiety and platonic Moxiety.
1. Suspicions Come True

Dangers of Deception

Virgil had been stressing out the last few days, ever since Deceit had shown up again and rigged up the courtroom scenario. He was up to something. Virgil knew that he was up to something, he could feel it. He knew Deceit. How he thinks, how he works. He had a plan, Virgil just needed to figure out what it was. Which left him in his room, trying to think of what to do. His thoughts were interrupted when Deceit appeared in his room at the foot of his bed. Immediately, Virgil jumped up to his feet, glaring at the two-faced snake in front of him.

"What the hell do you want?" Virgil demanded sharply.

Deceit smirked at him. "Come now, Virgil. Is that any way to greet an old friend?"

"We're not friends," Virgil snapped angrily.

"Of course we're not," Deceit muttered. "And we're certainly not more than that. I most certainly wasn't the one who was there for you since the beginning, especially when your new friends couldn't stand to talk to you."

"There for me?! You manipulated me!" Virgil growled, walking up to Deceit, filled with anger. "You used me to get Thomas to lie. You used his fears to get him to get him to lie himself out of trouble when he was growing up. You used me to get what you wanted. Let alone all the other shit you did to me! That's not friendship. That's not what people do to someone they care about. You didn't even care that lying made me more anxious and scared."

"Of course I cared, Virgil. However, sometimes it's necessary to do such things in order to get Thomas what he wants," Deceit countered, still smirking at him.

"But that's not the type of person that Thomas wants to be! That's what you never understood, Dee. It's not about you it's about Thomas. He's the one who matters. And Thomas hates being dishonest and deceitful," Virgil argued, stepping closer to him with clenched fists.

Deceit rolled his eyes and snapped his fingers, locking Virgil's door. "Honestly Virgil, I don't want to do this the hard way, but I will if I have to."

Virgil's heart sped up as his fear spiked dramatically. "What do you mean? Do what the hard way?" he asked, carefully taking a step back.

"Let's just say you're not coming back with me," Deceit smiled. "Whether you like it or not."

Virgil bolted for the door, running past Deceit and pulling at the handle frantically but it remained locked. He began to panic as he pounded his fists against the door. "Roman! Help! Roman, help me! Help! ROM-" Virgil's screaming abruptly stopped when Deceit slapped his gloved hand over his mouth, pulling him away from the door. Virgil struggled in his grip, desperately trying to break free.

"Stop fighting me, Virgil! You're just not making this harder for yourself," Deceit snapped, using his free hand to restrain Virgil's arms behind his back. He growled angrily when pounding sounded at the door and Roman's voice could be heard.

"Virgil?! Virgil open the door! What's going on? Virgil!"

"See what you've done?" Deceit snarled. "You just had to make things difficult."

"Virgil? Please open the door, kiddo," Patton pleaded as Roman continued to pound on the door, bringing Virgil to tears as he struggled, his screams muffled by Deceit's hand.

"Something may be seriously wrong making him unable to open the door. You'll need to break it down."

"I'm trying, Logan!" Roman snapped and Deceit laughed darkly.

"Just remember, Virgil. You didn't bring this upon yourself," he gloated as his snake-like fangs grew in his mouth and he bit down hard on Virgil's neck. Virgil let out a muffled scream of pain and a moment later Roman busted through the door sword in hand.

"VIRGIL!" Roman shouted and ran towards them as Virgil's vision went dark, Deceit laughing in his ear.


	2. Abduction

Roman had been spending the day working on projects for Thomas and coming up with new ideas for videos. However, his sense of peace was lost the moment he heard loud knocks coming from Virgil's room along with Virgil's panicked voice calling for his help. He jumped up from his desk and ran out into the hall, coming across Logan and Patton on the way who had also heard the shouting.

"What's happening?" Logan inquired.

"I don't know," Roman answered hastily as he ran up to Virgil's door and tried to open it, but it was locked. He slammed his fists against the door repeatedly. "Virgil?! Virgil, open the door! What's going on? Virgil!" When he got no answer, he began to ram his shoulder against the door, trying to force it open. He thought he heard a voice inside but couldn't make out what it was saying.

"Virgil? Please open the door, kiddo," Patton pleaded next to him.

"Something may be seriously wrong, making him unable to open the door," Logan chimed in calmly but Roman could tell he was worried. "You'll need to break it down."

Roman glared at the logical side as he continued to ram himself against the door. "I'm trying, Logan!" he snapped. With one more shove, the door flew open and Roman ran inside, sword in hand. The sight before him made his blood boil. "VIRGIL!"

Deceit was standing there, restraining Virgil's hands behind his back, one hand clamped over the anxious side's mouth, and Deceit was biting down on his Virgil's neck. Deceit lifted his head, his snake fangs coated with Virgil's blood and he saw red. Roman charged as Virgil's eyes slid shut and Deceit laughed. He swung his sword at the snake faced monster that was attacking his friend but before the sword could hit him, Deceit vanished with Virgil in a blast of smoke.

Roman stared at the spot where they just were before throwing his sword in frustration and falling to his knees. "Damn it! Virgil…"

Patton walked over and knelt next to him, already crying as he wrapped his arm around Roman's shoulder. "Y-You did your b-best."

"My best wasn't good enough."

"Falsehood," Logan stated after a moment. "Deceit may have won this round, but the battle isn't over yet. We must get Virgil back. And I am confident that we will. Once we discover exactly where Deceit has taken him."

"He must be so scared," Patton sobbed. "We need to get him back."

"We will," Roman promised as a few tears rolled down his cheeks. "I won't rest until he's back home with us."

They'd been searching for nearly an hour and found nothing. No sight of either of them. Roman was growing angrier by the minute. All he could think about was the look in Virgil's eyes before they slid shut. He looked absolutely terrified. Roman felt that he'd failed him. He was a knight a prince, sworn to protect. Yet he couldn't protect Virgil. Virgil, who had shouted for him when he was in danger. It was Roman that he'd called for. And Roman didn't get there in time. Things didn't get much better when they felt Thomas summoning them. They rose up in Thomas' living room while Thomas was curled up on his couch looking rather scared and uneasy.

"Guys…what's going on?" Thomas asked shakily.

Logan walked over to him with a look of concern. "Thomas…this is very important. What exactly are you feeling right now?"

"Scared. Really scared. To the point that it's making me nauseous. I-I can't think, I can barely…barely breathe," Thomas explained. His legs were up on the couch with his knees against his chest. Their host appeared to be completely freaked out and placed his head in his hands which were shaking unsteadily as they lightly tugged at his hair. "Where's…Where's Virgil? I need Virgil. Where is he? Is he alright? What's happened to him?" he asked, looking up at them.

Logan glanced at the other two warily before once more focusing on Thomas. "Why um…why do you ask what has happened to him?"

"I…" Thomas paused, confusion spreading across his face. "I don't know. S-Sorry, I have no idea why I said that…"

"I see," Logan muttered, seeming to ponder on that for a moment before his eyes widened. "Oh. That's so simple, why didn't I think of that before?"

"Logan, what are you talking about?" Patton asked quietly, his voice breaking a bit as he quickly wiped away a couple tears.

"The subconscious."

Roman's eyes widened as he realized what he meant. "Oh. Oh my, such fools we've been."

"Exactly. It's so obvious, right in plain sight," Logan nodded before being interrupted by Thomas.

"Guys! Explain what you're talking about," Thomas demanded, his breaths shaky.

"Right. Well, there is something…rather unsettling that we must inform you about. Something has indeed happened to Virgil," Logan began as Patton sat down next to Thomas and wrapped his arms around him. "Deceit took him. Around an hour ago."

"Took him?!"

"Yes. We had heard loud banging coming from his room and him shouting for help. When we got there to investigate, his door was locked, and we had to bust out way in. When we did, Deceit had Virgil in his grasp and before we could intervene, he vanished, taking Virgil with him. We do not know where it is that he took him. However, I now have reason to believe that they are somewhere in the subconscious. It appears that you are being affected by Virgil's thoughts and fears. While that is normal there is always an external reason behind it, such as a situation that you yourself are in that causes him to be anxious which you then feel."

"But there's nothing wrong. You were just relaxing at home," Roman added.

"Precisely. Not only that but you also knew that something had happened to Virgil without realizing it. You knew it subconsciously, meaning that you've been receiving his effects on you from within the subconscious. That is where Deceit is holding him."

Thomas remained silent for a few seconds, leaning into Patton's embrace as he tried to slow his breathing. "But why? Why would he do this? Why did he take Virgil?"

The three sides sharing a knowing but uncertain look before Roman hesitantly answered. "To…get him back. You see…before Virgil joined us…he was a Dark Side. And we have reason to believe that he and Deceit were…best friends," Roman recounted to him before bitterly adding, "possibly more."

"What?! That doesn't make any sense. Virgil hates Deceit," Thomas exclaimed.

"Well…Virgil doesn't like to talk about his time with the Dark Sides," Patton stated, gently running a hand through Thomas' hair to help calm him down. "But from what he had told us it seems like they were really close."

"Yes. And it can be inferred that their relationship, platonic or otherwise, was not good for Virgil," Logan added, adjusting his glasses.

"What do you mean?" Thomas asked quietly.

"We believe that Deceit manipulated Virgil," Roman answered angrily. "A lot."

"Quite," Logan stated. "It makes sense. Fear and deception often go together. Think about it, Thomas. When you were younger and misbehaved you feared the consequences so what would you do to get out of trouble?"

"I…I lied," Thomas answered, appearing to understand what they meant.

"We think Deceit used him to get what he wanted," Patton said slowly. "The more afraid you were the more likely you were to lie."

"So Deceit would manipulate Virgil into being more afraid so that he could convince me to lie," Thomas finished for him and sighed. "No wonder Virgil hates him. So how do we get him back? Where in my subconscious did he take him?"

"Could be anywhere. But I promise you, Thomas. I will find him. And I will bring him back," Roman swore, close to tears.

"Patton, you should remain here with Thomas," Logan noted. "Do your best to keep him calm since his receptiveness to Virgil is heightened right now." Patton nodded in response, keeping his arms wrapped around Thomas protectively.

"Guys…bring him back. Please," Thomas pleaded. They both nodded and sank down.


	3. Anxiety's Torture

When Virgil started to come to, he found that he was bound to a chair in a dark room of the subconscious. His ankles were bound together, and his wrists were bound behind the chair. There was another rope that was wrapped around his chest and the back of the chair. It was safe to say that he wasn't getting out of there anytime soon. His hoodie had been removed and was laying on the ground a few feet away, leaving him in his long-sleeved purple shirt. His hoodie being removed had already increased his anxiety. The slow warmth spreading in his neck was only making things worse. He knew what that meant. Deceit had bitten him. He began to struggle in his bonds and heard laughter and slow clapping from behind him.

"Look who's finally awake," Deceit whispered in his ear before stepping in front of him. "Only one bite and you're out like a light for twenty minutes. It used to take so much more than that. Oh well. I certainly won't make you used to my venom again," he told him gently, resting his gloved hand on Virgil's cheek.

Virgil jerked away from the touch as if he had been burned. "Don't you dare! Get this shit out of me. Now!" the anxious side shouted, still struggling in his bonds.

"And ruin the fun? Tsk tsk tsk. Come now, Virgil, don't lie. That's not my job. You love my venom. Used to be you couldn't get enough of it," Deceit murmured softly to him. He was met only with a hard glare from Virgil. However, all the anger he was showing was just to cover up how scared he truly was. He'd grown to hate what Deceit's venom did to him and he was terrified to go through it again. "Oh sweetie, don't give me that look. You won't thank me when this is over."

"Don't call me 'sweetie' you fucking two-faced snake," Virgil snapped at him. Then his struggling stopped, and he closed his eyes with a pained groan as he felt the venom begin to take effect. The mark on his neck was two puncture holes where the fangs went in. The skin around it was bruised, and black veins spread out from the area. At the moment, the black lines traced up and down his neck, the bottom ones already on his collarbone. His skin was also paler as well. It all made him feel sick inside.

"Oooh. It's already taking hold. So not wonderful," Deceit smirked and leaned down closer to him. "You definitely don't look beautiful like this. What do you think, Virigl?"

Virgil opened his eyes and his pupils were blown wide. "I…I'm…so glad…that it…pleases you, Dee," Virgil let out, slowly and strained. As if each word pained him. The venom may have been spreading but he was fighting it. Deceit didn't like that one bit. He stood up straight and backhanded Virgil. Then he pulled out a knife from his cloak and very slowly pushed it into Virgil's right shoulder. Virgil bit back a pain scream, blinking back tears. "I'm…I'm not staying here. You're a fool if you think I am. They'll come for me. I…I know they will."

Deceit laughed. "They'll come for you? Really? For you? Oh Virgil, my dear. You're a fool if you think that. They're glad to be rid of you." Virgil wanted to believe he was lying but the venom was making his words sound so…truthful. Doubt grew inside him as his mind raced. Maybe he's right. They don't want him back.

Roman and Logan resumed their search for Virgil while Patton stayed with Thomas. Considering their hosts condition, they thought it best that someone remain with him and Patton was the clear choice for that.

Delving into the subconscious was not an easy thing to do for a main side. They were never meant to be there. The subconscious was the breeding ground for the Dark Sides, meaning that this is where the were created within Thomas and where they lived. This made it dangerous for main sides and there was a large risk of being corrupted. But Roman didn't care. He was going to get Virgil back no matter what. He had already failed him once; he wasn't going to fail him again.

It had been about an hour and a half since Virgil had been taken and Roman was worried sick about him. He'd never said anything, but he'd begun to have feelings for the storm cloud of the group. Now the thought of him being in Deceit's grasp made him sick to his stomach.

"We'll find him," Logan assured him after they'd searched yet another empty room. Roman only nodded in return. "When we do find them, the best strategy is for you to deal with Deceit while I get Virgil. Agreed?"

Roman sighed and nodded. "Agreed." He kept his sword raised as they came up to another door. However, he paused when he heard someone talking inside. He waited for a moment, listening.

"If you'd never left to begin with, this wouldn't have happened, you know that. Don't you, Virgil.?"

Roman's heart jumped and he sent a glance to Logan before kicking the door down. "Unhand him, you slithering-" he began to shout before his voice trailed off as he took in the sight in front of him. Virgil was tied to a chair, his hoodie on the floor. Blood covered his purple shirt from multiple wounds across his chest. There were bruises peppered along his face and neck. The bite mark on his neck was an angry red with black veins extending down to his chest and up across his face. Out of all that though, the worst part was his eyes. His pupils were blown wide, his eyes looking glazed and unfocused. It made him look like it wasn't even him anymore. "Virgil?"

His dazed eyes slowly looked up to meet Roman's with barely a spark of recognition. It broke Roman's heart. Deceit smirked at the two of them as he stepped between them and Virgil. "Look, sweetie. It's just as I told you. They're come, armed and ready to hurt us."

Roman's eyes widened and his sword lowered slightly. "W-What? No…"

"Falsehood," Logan muttered, his face set into a deep frown. "Virgil, he's trying to deceive you."

"Such lies," Deceit gasped. "It's not enough for you to finally be rid of him is it? You have to hunt us down and take his happiness away too? Don't worry, Virgil. I won't let them hurt you."

"Us hurt him?" Roman snarled. "Look at him! You're the one who's been hurting him!" he shouted angrily. "Let him go now and I might be persuaded to show you mercy."

Deceit merely smirked at Roman. "You see, Virgil? He wants to take you away from me and hurt me."

A slight glimmer of yellow appeared in Virgil's eyes. "They…hate me," Virgil stated slowly, his voice echoing darkly like it did when he was extremely anxious.

"You're corrupting him," Roman growled and charged at him. He knew the plan was for him to take on Deceit and Logan to get Virgil. But he just wanted to get to his friend and get him out of there. He made a slash at Deceit's legs and pushed him out of the way so he could get to Virgil. Logan caught on to the change of plan and tackled Deceit to the ground.

Roman focused on releasing Virgil. He untied his legs and got to work on Virgil's wrists, setting his sword to the side while Logan and Deceit wrestled a few feet away. The state that Virgil was in absolutely broke his heart. "R-…Roman?" Virgil mumbled, the yellow in his eyes momentarily gone.

He paused for a second to look up at Virgil with a gentle smile, one hand hesitantly cupping his pale cheek. "Hey. It's me. You're okay, I've got you. We're getting you out of here," Roman assured him and went back to untying his wrists. He tossed the ropes aside and began to slowly help Virgil out of the chair.

However, Virgil pushed Roman aside and grabbed the Prince's sword off the ground. "No! Deceit! Get off him! Logan, stop! Dee!" Virgil shouted in his echo voice and tried to charge at Logan with the sword. But Roman quickly grabbed him and tore the sword from his hand and tossed it.

He wrapped his arms around Virgil who was fighting him to try and get to Deceit. With all the struggling the two of them fell to the floor. "Virgil! Stop, I'm trying to help you!"

"You're trying to hurt us your liar!" Virgil responded, his voice still echoing. The yellow had returned to Virgil's eyes and the black veins that extended from the bite mark on his neck had expanded out further across his pale face. Roman kept his grip on Virgil who was still struggling in his arms.

"Logan, we need to break his hold on Virgil!" Roman shouted as he held the struggling trait. Logan had managed to get the upper hand thanks to Roman injuring Deceit's legs earlier.

"I'll need to break the cognitive connection then," Logan responded as he began hitting Deceit's face. All the while Virgil's scary echo voice was yelling for them to stop.

"Speak English, calculator watch!"

"I need to render him unconscious," Logan answered and after a few more hits, Deceit went still on the ground, having been knocked out by Logan. At the same time, Virgil stopped fighting and was breathing heavily.

"Roman…" Virgil mumbled weakly, his voice still maintaining a slight echo. His face had grown even paler, his dazed eyes looking aware now but extremely tired.

"I'm here. I've got you, Hot Topic," Roman whispered as he adjusted his hold on Virgil so that the anxious trait was laying in his arms bridal style. Logan walked over to them as Roman brushed Virgil's bangs aside so that he could see his eyes "You're safe now, okay?" Virgil nodded slowly before his eyes slid shut and he went limp in Roman's arms.

Logan knelt beside them and began to check Virgil's condition. He sighed and adjusted his glasses. "Virgil requires medical attention, but he should recover fully."

"…Logan…I'm sorry. I know the plan was for me to fight Deceit, not you but-" Roman apologized but Logan quickly interrupted.

"Roman, there is no need to apologize. I understand." Roman looked up at him in surprise. "I'm not ignorant to those around me. I've noticed your behavior as of late in regards to Virgil. Have you told him?"

Roman shook his head as he grabbed his sword and place it back in its sheath before standing up with Virgil in his arms, his head resting against Roman's shoulder. "There's no point. He'd never be interested in me like that."

"I wouldn't be so sure," Logan responded as he picked up Virgil's jacket and they left.


	4. Recovery

Roman and Logan rose up in the living room with a bleeding and unconscious Virgil in Roman's arms. Thomas and Patton looked up from where they were sitting on the couch and gasped. "Virgil!" Patton shouted and shot up off the couch. "Bring him over here, onto the sofa. Logan, get the first aid supplies from the closet. Thomas, we need a bowl of clean water," Patton ordered, going into Dad-Mode."

Patton helped Roman place Virgil on the sofa, sitting with Virgil propped up on his lap. The two sides pulled off the wounded side's shirt while Thomas and Logan gathered the supplies that Patton had asked for. The sight of Virgil's bloody chest brought tears to their eyes. There were multiple stab wounds, slashes, burn marks, and bruises scattered across his pale skin.

"Deceit only had him for less than two hours…" Roman commented in shock. Virgil's dark, purple shirt had covered and hid most of the wounds so Roman hadn't noticed them beforehand.

"He did a lot in the time he had," Logan noted, carrying a tray of supplies with him as he knelt down next to the couch. Thomas walked over with a large bowl of water and set it down beside Logan, his face a mixture of emotions. The four of them tended to Virgil's wounds who remained unconscious the whole time. All the while, the black veins from the venom continued to expand. They covered half of his face and had extended down his left arm and to his mid-chest.

It severely worried Roman who couldn't stop thinking about the blank look in Virgil's eyes, his echoed voice accusing them of trying to hurt him, and the yellow glow in his eyes as he fought to get back to Deceit. It was all he could think about. "What do we do about Deceit's venom? It's still spreading," he asked eventually, staring at the two puncture holes in Virgil's neck from Deceit's fangs.

"I have an idea about that," Logan commented, stitching up the knife wound in Virgil's shoulder. "After rendering him unconscious, I collected some venom from his fangs. It is highly possible that I can create an anti-venom for him." Roman nodded silently, hoping it would work. After bandaging all of Virgil's injuries, Logan left to create the anti-venom. Patton remained on the couch with Virgil's head on his lap and was gently running his fingers through Virgil's hair, quietly humming as tears ran down his face. Thomas was just sitting silently, staring at the floor, tears flowing from his eyes.

Roman just couldn't continue to hold in his emotions anymore. Seeing Virgil like this was too much for him. He got up and gently covered Virgil with a blanket. He then picked up Virgil's jacket and sat down on the steps where Virgil always stood for the Sanders Sides videos. He held the jacket to his chest and broke down crying. Roman hid his face against his knees, clinging to the jacket as he sobbed. A few moments later he felt someone sit down next to him and wrapped an arm around him in a hug.

"He'll be okay," Thomas whispered, gently rubbing his back,

Roman sat up and looked at him brokenly. "I failed him, Thomas. Look at him. That's my fault," he cried, looking down at the jacket.

Thomas shook his head. "No, it's not. It's not your fault, Roman."

"Yes, it is. He was screaming for help, Thomas. When Deceit was taking him, he screamed for help. He was screaming my name. My name, Thomas," Roman cried. "He was calling to me fore help. Me. And I failed. I didn't get in there in time to stop Deceit from taking him. I was too late. Yes, I got him back. But if I hadn't failed to begin with then he wouldn't be in this condition right now.

Thomas sighed lightly. "I don't think that means you failed. Or that this is your fault. The fact that Deceit went through all of this to get Virgil back, for whatever reason, then he had planned out how he was going to take him. He would have made sure that his plan would succeed. I don't think there was anything you could have done," Thomas explained slowly pulling Roman into a tight hug. "Virgil won't blame you, either."

Roman broke down into the sobs at that, crying against Thomas' shoulder and clutching Virgil's jacket to his chest. "I hate seeing him like this," he sobbed.

"You really do love him, don't you?" Thomas whispered, holding him tightly.

Roman sighed, closing his eyes. "You too? Is it…is it really that obvious? First Logan, now you," Roman muttered into Thomas' shoulder.

"Pretty sure everyone except Virgil knows, kiddo," Patton noted from his spot on the couch. Before Roman could answer, Logan rose up, holding a syringe.

"I've got it," Logan stated and walked over to the couch. Thomas and Roman got up and followed. Thomas sat down on the other end of the couch while Roman knelt on the floor next to Virgil, wiping at his eyes. "This should work fairly quickly. Patton, if you could hold up his head for me, please." Carefully, he injected the anti-venom into the bite on Virgil's neck. They all watched with bated breath as the black veins began to fade and disappear.

A few moments later, Virgil slowly began to stir. Patton continued to gently stroke Virgil's hair as he woke. Virgil's eyes opened slightly and looked around before landing on Patton. "D-Dad?" Virgil mumbled weakly.

A tiny smile lit up Patton's face. "Hey there, kiddo. I'm right here with you. I'm not going anywhere."

Virgil smiled gently at that and continued to look around. "Thomas…y-you okay?"

"Am I okay?" Thomas laughed incredulously. "We should be asking you that, Virgil."

"I'll be okay," Virgil mumbled and winced sharply. Roman immediately took Virgil's hand, causing the anxious trait to glance down at him. "Roman…you saved me," he whispered, barely able to stay awake much longer.

"I…I wouldn't really go that far," Roman stuttered out.

"Because you're…you're an idiot," Virgil managed before his eyes slid shut and he was unconscious once again. Roman kept his hold on Virgil's hand and wiped at his eyes, the jacket in his lap.

Thomas smiled gently at Roman. "You should listen to him. He's right. Don't blame yourself for this." Roman looked down, pondering these words.

Hours passed as Virgil slept. Thomas and Logan were the first to retire to bed. Patton took some convincing but eventually laid down on the other end of the couch. Roman, however, refused to move. He remained seated on the floor, leaning against the couch with his hand still entwined in Virgil's hand. This is how he fell asleep hours later.

About 12 hours after Virgil's rescue, Roman woke up to the sound of screaming. He jumped up to see Virgil in the midst of a full-on panic attack. He and Patton both jumped into action. Roman got onto the couch and wrapped his arms around the panicking Virgil while Patton covered him with a blanket, both of them whispering soothing words to him and helping him focus on his breathing. Virgil leaned into Roman's embrace, clinging to him as he sobbed. Roman held him and ran a hand through his hair, Patton muttering comforting words. Both of them were doing their best to comfort Virgil and calm him down. Thomas and Logan both came down to see what was happening. It took several minutes to calm Virgil down.

He laid there on the couch, snuggling in Roman's arms, sniffling quietly. "You okay now?" Roman asked gently and Virgil nodded silently. "Do you want to talk about it?" Virgil shook his head. "Okay. That's okay, you don't have to if you don't want to."

"Want some tea, kiddo?" Patton asked quietly.

"Please," Virgil mumbled, hiding his face against Roman's shoulder. Patton smiled gently and went to go make some tea. "I'm sorry, guys."

"Don't apologize, Virgil. You've done nothing wrong," Logan stated. "This was all Deceit's doing. You are not to blame for any of it."

"Logan's right, Virgil," Thomas nodded. "We're just glad that you're okay and back here with us."

"Where you belong," Roman added slowly, making Virgil smile and blush.


	5. Finally Together

Virgil had a few more panic attacks over the course of the next few days as he recovered from his injuries. Every time, it was Roman who would settle him down. The creative side rarely ever left him alone but honestly didn't mind. The last thing he wanted was to be alone, fearing that Deceit would come back and take him again.

At the moment, Virgil was curled up on the couch, bundled in his hoodie and a large fluffy blanket. Roman was curled up next to him, one arm wrapped around him protectively and had fallen asleep in the middle of their Disney marathon. Virgil suspected that Roman hadn't been sleeping. He pulled his hood up over his head as he watched Tangled. Logan, Patton, and Thomas were all asleep in their rooms, leaving him alone with Roman. He hadn't been back to his own room yet. He just didn't feel safe going back yet because that's where Deceit had attacked and taken him. So, he'd been staying in the living room and even Roman's room once or twice.

While watching the movie, Virgil began to feel really anxious, his mind wandering to Deceit. The last few days had brought back a lot of memories that he'd rather not think about. His past with Deceit was something that he didn't talk about with anybody. He'd kept his past as a Dark Side bottled up. But after what had just happened, he was having difficulty keeping all his feelings hidden.

After a few minutes, his breathing had picked up as his anxiety heightened. He didn't really think about it as he snuggled up to a sleeping Roman, practically crawling into his lap, sniffling a little.

Roman stirred, tightening his hold on him. "Virgil?"

"Sorry. I didn't mean to was you," Virgil quickly apologized and started to pull away.

However, Roman kept his hold on him, preventing him from moving away. "Hey, don't apologize. I don't mind," he murmured gently. Virgil hesitated before relaxing into his arms once more. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"Deceit. I…I keep thinking about it."

"Can I ask you something?" Roman asked after a moment. Virgil nodded slowly. "Were you and him ever…together?"

Virgil pursed his lips and snuggled closer to Roman. "Y-Yes. Unfortunately," he answered and Roman stayed silent. "What're you thinking about?" Virgil mumbled when he couldn't take the silence anymore.

"I'm thinking that I'm angry," he answered. "Not at you," Roman clarified quickly. "At him. For many reasons. I'd guessed that he's manipulated you in the past but…I never imagined it was anything like that. He was hurting you and literally controlling you to make you stay. It makes me sick to my stomach. Did he do all of that to you when you were together?"

Virgil listened to him and rested his head on Roman's chest. "Yes…kind of. He didn't start physically hurting me till the relationship was nearly over. And never this bad. The biting and the venom however…that was all the time. I used to like it. The venom made me feel calm and safe. Then I realized that it was only to make it easier to manipulate me to do what he wanted. Can't be suspicious of one's motives if the only thing you feel is calm and content…" Virgil explained slowly. "Thank you…for saving me. Even though you only did it because Patton begged you probably. Still. Thank you."

At this, Roman suddenly pulled Virgil away from him and held him at arm's length, causing Virgil to look at the ground nervously. "Patton didn't beg me. He didn't have to. I saved you because I wanted you back."

Virgil looked up at him slowly. "I…I thought you didn't like me. Thought you put up with me to keep Thomas safe…"

"Virgil…of course I like you. When Deceit took you, I…it felt like someone ripped my heart out. I couldn't stand the thought of you being hurt," Roman exclaimed, gently moving some of Virgil's hair away from his eyes.

"Why?"

"Why? Really? It's obvious to everyone else, even Logan, and you know how he is with feelings…it's because…because I love, Virgil." Roman met his eyes, looking nervous. "In fact, I think I'm in love with you."

Virgil starred at him in disbelief. "I…I'm in love with you too…" The two of them continued to stare at each other. Virgil wasn't sure who leaned in first. but their lips met and he was completely lost in the kiss. Until a sudden voice made them jump apart.

"It's about damn time you two," Thomas smirked.


End file.
